In today’s world, people are moving. They are moving fast and they are moving with a purpose. Usually the purpose is to get to the next place that will get them moving even faster and with another purpose. With this new ‘on-the-go’ mentality, we somehow forgot the basics of professionalism. We somehow adopted the notion that sentences like, “Pls accept the attached resume for rvw, thx!” are acceptable. They’re not.

Take a moment to consider the amount of time you invest in producing an outstanding resume, searching for a position that meets your skillsets and matches your goals, and identifying the appropriate contact to whom your resume should be submitted. Now take another moment to consider that using sentences similar to the ‘textese’ above to submit a resume via email may very well guarantee that all your valuable time was wasted, simply by skimping on the final few minutes of composing a professional email.

Working for an executive search firm, I see resumes every day that have been submitted using ‘textese’ in the body of the email. Regardless of where your resume is being sent, be it a third-party recruiter or directly to a potential employer, it is a poor decision to submit an unprofessional document. As a recruitment firm, one of our responsibilities is to screen candidates, and in doing so, we evaluate many criteria. By using slang or ‘textese’ in your presentation of a resume, you are in a way saying that you do not feel it is necessary to be professional or spend the time to prepare a well-written introduction. You may even be viewed as someone who is not taking the job search seriously.

That all being said, there are a few angles to consider here. In speaking with my co-workers, I was surprised to hear some of the responses to the question, “How do you feel about the use of ‘textese’ in a resume submission?” I got everything from “it is completely unprofessional”, and “I do not look favorably upon candidates who submit correspondence in this manner”, to “it depends on whether I have a long-standing relationship with them”, “it depends on whether or not they submitted it on a hand-held device”, and “it depends on the level of position for which they are applying.” For a candidate, the question is, how do you really know which category your recruiter falls into? Is it worth taking the chance that your recruiter is one who looks unfavorably upon candidates who choose to submit correspondence using ‘textese’?

Please do not get me wrong. I understand that people are busy and that there is a time and a place for ‘textese’. However, a resume submission is not one of them in my opinion. This is your time to shine, to show a potential employer how you stand out, and to demonstrate how well you are able to communicate.

Because the majority of resumes today are submitted via email or online, it is acceptable to use the body of the email as a cover letter. For example:

Good morning Mr. Richards,

Please find attached my resume for the position of Mechanical Engineer with ABC Company. After reviewing your website and the position description, I am confident that my qualifications and skills would be a good match for the role.

(Insert information on previous positions and accomplishments that are relevant to the role for which you are applying).

I appreciate your time in reviewing my resume and look forward to the opportunity to meet with you to discuss the role further.

Sincerely,

John Smith

Another option is to write an actual cover letter and attach it to the email in addition to your resume. If you choose this option, the email submitted should still be professional. Keep in mind, in many cases this is an organization’s first impression of you and is read before the recipient even considers opening your resume file. For example:

Good morning Mr. Richards,

Please find attached my cover letter and resume for the position of Mechanical Engineer with ABC Company.

I appreciate your time in reviewing my information and look forward to the opportunity to meet with you to discuss the role further.

Sincerely,

John Smith

Simply put, keep it professional!

I would love to hear ur thoughts… thx!

Kelly Young
kellyy@helblingsearch.com